30
Aug 19
0

#PMInc 11th Anniversary Guest Author: Beverley Bateman

Category:#PMInc 11th Anniversary,Anniversary,Guest Author,Personalized Marketing,Personalized Marketing Inc,PM Inc Tags : #Anniversary #PMInc Personalized Marketing Inc PM Inc

Taking Care Of You: Recognize Your Stress

In these times you hear almost everyone talking about stress in their daily lives. Then you throw in a writer’s life. Yup, you really need to take care of yourself. The first thing you need to do is recognize your stress. What are your stressors and how do you react? Now what are you going to do about it?

I have a fairly good idea about my stressors these days. So, the first part of taking care of me is prevention. Try to keep a healthy body to fight the stress and its negative effects. I try to follow a natural, healthy diet with few additives, based on the Mediterranean Diet. Then I exercise three or four days a week. Sometimes it’s at the fitness center or walking my dog and getting my 10,000 steps in, or working on specific, targeted exercises for my arthritis. I meditate in the morning, get fresh air, try to find at least one thing in a day that makes you smile or laugh out loud and eight hours of sleep.

I also try and book time each day for chores, family time, writing and space for me to relax. It sounds good, but this is one of the things I find hardest to do.

This is taking care of myself and hopefully an aid to preventing increased stress levels. However, life still takes over and I still end up with stress. Blogs to get done, website updates, marketing (which is always one of my big stressors, often compounded by trying to ignore doing it) writing that book with so many life interruptions, editing deadlines…do I need to say more?

When these things happen, I often arrange to meet a friend for lunch and a little shopping, which can make me happy.

Depending on the stress I may take a day or two off from writing, chores, etc. and not do anything but curl up with a good book and maybe nibble on some dark chocolate. Very relaxing, mind clearing, and I may even get a few ideas for a WIP.

For those really stressful times, there’s a massage – sigh… My favorite is half treatment massage and half Japanese hot stone massage. It works on the arthritis pain, those tense muscles and I come away completely relaxed and feeling wonderful.

And then of course, there’s always wine…

Author bio:

Beverley Bateman is a Canadian author now living in Medicine Hat, Alberta, with her husband and Shiba Inu dog. She’s exchanged the Okanagan vineyards and orchards for ranches. Winters she’s a snowbird. She writes the latest romantic suspense in both places. She enjoys reading, watercolor painting and the Native American flute.

Find Author at:

Website https://www.beverleybateman.com/

BLOG http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/beverley.bateman.18

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7052567.Beverley_Bateman

Twitter http://twitter/kelownawriter

Pinterest http://pinterest.com/okwriter

Amazon author page http://www.amazon.com/Beverley-Bateman/e/B008M01F5E

http://triberr.com/darkwriter

Pinterest http://pinterest.com/okwriter/interest

The Fourth Victim Sara’s Story
Blurb for The Fourth Victim

Sara’s emotionally abusive husband dies unexpectedly. She’s struggling to reclaim the intelligent, independent person she was before she married. Now she’s part of a special team, training to help other women.

Mac is responsible for training women in special ops, so they are prepared in their challenge to save other women. When he meets Sara, sparks fly between them. He wants her to quit the training and let him take care of her.

Sara graduates. Her first assignment is to save Sara’s daughter from a serial killer. Can Mac step back in this dangerous situation? Can Sara and Mac resolve their issues?

Buy Links for The Fourth Victim:

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JQ97L8M?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420
Apple - https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-fourth-victim/id1440048796?ls=1&mt=11
Nook pending
Kobo - https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-fourth-victim-9

Excerpt from The Fourth Victim

The office said he’d had a heart attack. Was he alive? Did she want him to be? What if her husband had to stay home for a few weeks to recuperate? Palms sweating, Sara’s breath came in short, shallow bursts at the thought.

The taxi jerked to a stop in front of the hospital emergency entrance.

Sara fumbled through her purse and counted out her meager number of dollar bills. Gordon didn’t allow her to have a credit card and he only allowed her to have a small amount of cash. She didn’t have enough money to pay the taxi.

“I’m so sorry. I left home without any cash. I...I ... Would you take a check?” Tears spilled over and trickled down her flushed cheeks.

The driver spun around. A short stubby finger waved at the sign over the rearview mirror. “Look lady, it says right there - No Checks.”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry. My husband’s had a heart attack and I ... I don’t know what to do.” Sara ran her fingers through her hair and scrunched the tight bun at her neck.

The driver shook his head. “Aw, shit. Go ahead, lady. Write the check.”

Sara pulled the single crumpled check Gordon allowed her carry for emergencies out of her purse. When she touched the check a vision of Gordon floated in front of her.

She froze and rapidly blinked her eyes. She only saw the ghosts of dead people. Gordon didn’t believe her and forbid her to ever mention it.

Could he really be dead?

“Gordon?” she whispered.

“Lady, are you writing that check or not?”

“Yes, sorry.” Sara scribbled her signature on the bottom of the check. “Please, fill it in, and give yourself a generous tip. Thank you, thank you so much.” She clutching her worn purse to her chest, slid out of the cab, and scurried through the emergency room doors.

What if he was dead? She didn’t have any money. Gordon did all the finances and never shared anything with her. How would she manage?

Twenty years ago she could have handled it. Could she do it again? But he couldn’t be dead. Gordon would never allow that to happen.

His face flitted in front of her, fixed in an angry glare.

He had to be dead or she wouldn’t be seeing him. He didn’t want to be dead. He didn’t want her to be free. If he thought she could see him he’d be furious.

Sara shuffled toward the reception desk. She glanced over her shoulder, searching for some sign of Gordon, listening for his voice, waiting for him to yell at her. She couldn’t believe he was really dead, even though she had seen him. She clung to the edge of the transition counter, her head down, chewed on her lower lip and waited to be noticed.

28
Aug 19
0

#PMInc 11th Anniversary Guest Author: Jillian Bullock

Category:#PMInc 11th Anniversary,Anniversary,Guest Blogger,Personalized Marketing,Personalized Marketing Inc,PM Inc Tags : #Anniversary #PMInc Personalized Marketing Inc PM Inc

Taking Care Of You: Know When It’s Time To Let Go

As an award winning filmmaker, I wear many hats – director, writer, actor, producer, and fight choreographer. I am now working on building my production company to greater heights and open my own in-house film studio by late 2020. Being a filmmaker and the CEO of Jillian Bullock Enterprises, LLC, I often have to make tough decisions, which is necessary to grow, to change, to improve, to get better, and to succeed.

When you make these tough decisions for your own life, it sometimes includes letting go of people who no longer serve your dream, your goal, your vision, or your mission. This can be people who you know personally or professionally. But in learning to take care of you, this also means some people must be eliminated from your life. You will have to know when it’s time to let go.

As you work to achieve success and fulfill your dreams in life choose who you’re giving your time and energy to. Life is hard enough on its own. Don’t have people in your life that are making things harder for you.

These are the types of people you need to let go of immediately:

Anybody that triggers you.
Anybody who is a naysayer or hater.
Anybody who doesn’t offer love and compassion.
Anybody who is selfish and makes things all about himself or herself.
Anybody who drains you emotionally.
Anybody who isn’t there in your time of need.
Anybody who is abusive (physically, mentally, emotionally, sexually, financially).
Anybody who is full of excuses.
Anybody who is seriously lazy.
Anybody who is destructive to themselves or to you.
Anybody who tries to hold you back from fulfilling your dreams and goals.
Anybody who isn’t trying to improve and grow.
Anybody who is poisonous to your integrity.

Once you let go of certain people find other people who are like-minded. Those people who are full of joy, hope, creative thoughts, and physical energy. People who are smart, kind, hard workers, who understand your big dreams because they have big dreams, too. Surround yourself with people who push you to be great and who will kick you in the butt when you get off track. Be in the presence of people who will nourish your soul.

Most important, you’re the sum of the people you spend the most time with, which is why you must let go of those people who are not growing with you. Surround yourself with positivity, because when you are reaching for greatness you will often have doubts or you will fail at times. With this in mind, find a small group of people who can provide you with the support, love and guidance you need.

24
Aug 19
0

#PMInc Guest: CTR Staff Delane

Category:#PMInc 11th Anniversary,Anniversary,CTR Staffers,Guest Blogger,Personalized Marketing Inc,PM Inc Tags : #Anniversary #PMInc Personalized Marketing Inc PM Inc

Are you glued to technology and if so, what do you do to disconnect?

I for one, with my disability, live technology and love it. However, I do not get on social media or websites; I spend my time primarily reading, doing bible studies, and online courses. I rarely step away from technology as I can make the font on my tablets to whatever size I need for that day. Glasses are helpful but there are times when even they are of no use and adjusting fonts is better. I do not sit at a laptop; I have a Kindle, Microsoft Surface, Apple 12" tablet, and my phone.

What do you do to unwind?

Read

Anything special you do to treat yourself like maybe a favorite meal each month?

I buy books. I have an addiction to my Kindle books and have an extensive library.

Do you have a hobby that isn’t involved in what you do each day? (Painting, gardening, knitting, biking, etc).

Reading

Everyone is concerned about being healthy while working on a computer, what do you do to try and improve your health? (5 min breaks, standing some while working, walking during the morning, limit time on computer, etc)

I stand once at least every hour. I have a standing desk stand but unable to use as often since I am getting old. The one thing I do not do at home is sit in front of a computer since I do it all day at work.

While working is there anything special you do help ease your mental stress or physical aches? (listen to music, stand while working, etc)

I listen to healthy TV shows or documentaries. I work better with noise. I learned to block out noise while doing my job in a room with 50 other people are talking none stop at various levels and tone. Now, I find comfort in the noise and need it to focus on what I am doing which is silly but 20 years of training imprints on the mind for life.

What advice would you want to give others if you could?

Do what you want to do in life. Do not settle for a job instead of finding a calling. If you are called to something you will find joy in it and it will never seem like work.

Delane is an avid reader who has been told her whole life to get her nose out of the book. She was the closet nerd in school until she got old enough to beat the crap out of anyone who made fun of her for reading and studying. She reads everything out there at least once. If she really likes a book she has been known to read it 2, 3………okay over 100 times. Spare time? As an avid reader she has no spare time because every spare moment of the day is spent reading. She carries her eReader in her purse and if she has 5 minutes standing in line then she is reading. The rest of her day is dedicated to her children, her country, and to her never-ending quest for higher learning.

Visit her at https://coffeetimeromance.com/the-coffee-crew/Delane/

23
Aug 19
2

#PMInc 11th Anniversary Guest Author: @KayelleAllen

Category:#PMInc 11th Anniversary,Anniversary,Guest Author,Guest Blogger,Personalized Marketing Inc,PM Inc Tags : #Anniversary #PMInc Personalized Marketing Inc PM Inc

Taking Care Of You: Sleep.

My sincere thanks to Dee Carver for inviting me to share on her website. Dee is special to me. She's not just someone I know online -- she's also a great friend. I trust her with the keys to my kingdom. She is my website designer and guru. Today happens to be her birthday. Dee, I hope your day is lovely all day long!

When Dee asked me to talk about self-care for authors, my mind immediately went to one particular topic. It's the one thing that has changed my life to give me not only better health but also to make me a more prolific (and much better) writer.

Sleep.

Yes, sleep. Mundane and humdrum but oh so necessary. I write about immortals who need two hours of sleep and can go a day or three without it when needed. Trust me. I am not immortal. Not even close.

My first published book came out in July of 2004 and the second in December. I was putting out a book about every six months. Then this thing happened to me that knocked me completely out of my ability to churn out new stories. What was it?

No sleep.

I actually bragged about how I got by on only four to five hours of sleep a night. It was a time waster, right? I felt fine! I would wake up excited to start my day. I had a full time job that I truly loved and for the Atlanta area, an easy commute. But by the time I got home, fixed dinner, got other work around the house down and sat down at the computer -- I was done. I worked, yes. I put in the time banging on the keyboard, but my ideas weren't gelling.

I used caffeine. I tried adding exercise. Because, yeah, when you're tired, working out is such a great idea. Not. I did this for more than ten years. No real sleep and working myself to the bone trying to get ahead.

When stomach pain sent me to the doctor, I discovered I had an ulcer. My job had changed and it was now high stress and I hated going in to work each day. I had no energy to write. What I was producing was just not that good. I couldn't seem to stay with a story long enough to finish it. I'd get 40,000 words in, but the plot wasn't working. The characters were wrong. In short, I was writing nothing publishable.

In June of 2018, my youngest son, Joel, gave me a Fitbit and I started tracking my sleep. The least amount of sleep it would set for as a minimum was a little over 5 hours. Most days, I didn't make that goal. I was hardwired to wake up.

But I discovered something quite by accident. There were a few days in a row where I slept 6 hours or so, and was also starting to produce good work. I could make decisions. I flew through cleaning the kitchen and fixing dinner. I folded laundry and actually put it away. You know what I'm talking about, don't you? I bet you do.

When you're tired, you get by on the minimum. Clothes get washed. They might even get folded. But they never / rarely make it out of the basket. I learned how to make fast food faster and we ate frozen meals because who has energy to cook?

Once I started seeing the correlation between longer sleep and energy to work and write, the lightbulbs started coming on.

Why hadn't I thought of this before? Why wasn't anyone talking about this?

Of course, they were, but as tired as I was, I wasn't paying attention. I decided to start trying to get more sleep.

After a year, I can say that I consistently get over six hours of sleep a night. I truly don't think I was ever big on sleeping, even as a kid. I'm pretty hardwired to work that way. I feel great and I'm able to do so much more. I've released new books. I'm writing one now that is a joy to create. The ideas flow. I'm a much better writer because I have energy to write but also energy to study my craft.

So, if there is one thing I can recommend to make you a better writer it's this: Sleep.

Don't fool around with your metabolism. Your body needs rest. Your creativity comes out of your brain -- which if you aren't allowing time to reset and rejuvenate -- is going to fail you.

Prioritize. Look at what's really important. Your health isn't something you can give up to get more done. Trust me on that. Eat healthy food. Get some exercise. And go to bed!

Bro, Antonello Brothers Prequel, by Kayelle Allen

The tech Senth is about to claim will make him invisible. Finally, the young halfbreed thief will be out of sight, shielded from the taunts humans fire at him. But when that tech reveals he has a human half-brother who's bound by a cruel slaver, Senth must find a way to save his brother from abuse and win his freedom -- even though Senth is a slave himself.

There's just one problem. The new Thieves' Guild tech might make him invisible, but it can't hide him from the truth...

https://books2read.com/u/bwqyAy

About the Author

Kayelle Allen writes Sci Fi and Sci Fi Romance with misbehaving robots, mythic heroes, role playing immortal gamers, and warriors who purr. She's a US Navy veteran and has been married so long she's tenured.

Homeworld https://kayelleallen.com
Book blog https://rlfblog.com
Twitter http://twitter.com/kayelleallen
Facebook http://facebook.com/kayelleallen.author
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/kayelleallen/bringer-of-chaos-pietas/
Reader Groups https://kayelleallen.com/reader-groups/

22
Aug 19
0

#PMInc Guest: CTR Staff Ruth

Category:#PMInc 11th Anniversary,Anniversary,CTR Staffers,Guest Blogger,Personalized Marketing Inc,PM Inc Tags : #Anniversary #PMInc Personalized Marketing Inc PM Inc

Are you glued to technology and if so, what do you do to disconnect?

I'm an author. I do all my writing on the computer... I disconnect when I've reached my word count for the day. To reach my daily word count at a reasonable time, I block email and social media

What do you do to unwind?

I read or watch BritBox to unwind.

Anything special you do to treat yourself like maybe a favorite meal each month?

Ice Cream - Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia

Do you have a hobby that isn’t involved in what you do each day? (Painting, gardening, knitting, biking, etc)

When I'm on my own, I love to do counted cross stitch. I also enjoy ballroom dancing with my husband.

Everyone is concerned about being healthy while working on a computer, what do you do to try and improve your health? (5 min breaks, standing some while working, walking during the morning, limit time on computer, etc)

I go to the gym at least twice a week. While I work, I take breaks every so often to stretch my legs and get a glass of water.

While working is there anything special you do help ease your mental stress or physical aches? (listen to music, stand while working, etc)

I enjoy listening to music while I write. I usually soft jazz when I'm working on a contemporary story. I have a playlist of epic fantasy music that I listen to when I write my medieval stories.

What advice would you want to give others if you could?

Don't ever stop learning or growing as a person and read... a lot.

22
Aug 19
2

#PMInc Guest: CTR Staff Renee

Category:#PMInc 11th Anniversary,Anniversary,CTR Staffers,Events,Personalized Marketing Inc,PM Inc Tags : #Anniversary #PMInc Personalized Marketing Inc PM Inc

Are you glued to technology and if so, what do you do to disconnect?

I'm glued to my computer at home but am only on my phone when I'm out of the house and stuck in a line somewhere. I would say I read to disconnect, but that involves technology to do since I'm 98% eBooks. Does watching Asian Period Dramas count even though it's via streaming on TV? If it does, then that and watching anime.

What do you do to unwind?

Crochet. I'm in the middle of making a giant poncho that will come in handy for the really cold winter we have coming.

Anything special you do to treat yourself like maybe a favorite meal each month?

My treat is cookies or some kind of apple pastry (apply fritter, apple turnover, apple danish). I like to limit my sugar intake since my lifestyle is pretty sedentary, but every so often I indulge in a box of cookies or a few apple pastries.

Do you have a hobby that isn’t involved in what you do each day?

Crocheting. I'll either be doing actual crocheting, finding patterns of future projects I want to tackle, or watching YouTube videos of pattern walkthroughs.

Everyone is concerned about being healthy while working on a computer, what do you do to try and improve your health?

Get up and move around. Also, drinking lots of water, which means heading downstairs to refill my thermos and getting up to head to the bathroom. So that gets me up out of my seat. Usually, once I get up, I'll do a bunch of other stuff that has me moving around before I sit back down and get back to writing.

While working is there anything special you do help ease your mental stress or physical aches?

For a mental break, I have a collection of videos featuring repetitive fractal and 3D patterns and such. Just something to stare at that requires no thought or emotional investment. My favorites are insta/wannerstedt, insta/arbenl1berateme, and insta/rogerkilimanjaro. Any of their videos are great for just detaching and relaxing, which helps to alleviate the physical aches as well.

What advice would you want to give others if you could?

Celebrate every step of the journey toward your end goal because every step is a triumph.

Renee is a fantasy fan of the highest degree. She loves cartoons, anime, manga, and movies. Her manga collection can rival most bookstores, her comic collection could sink a small ship and her book collection needs its own storage unit. And those are the physical books. The advent of ereaders and ebooks has made it easier to hide her collecting obsession, though her bank account knows the truth.

Everything is an inspiration for Renee. If you’re around her for too long, you (or part of your life) will end up in one of her books. She’s a fan of trying most everything once because the road to liking something means trying it first. That approach goes for her writing as well.

If it’s interesting, she’ll read it. If it’s entertaining, she’ll watch it. If it’s good, she’ll eat it. And if it makes a favorable lasting impression, she’ll do it all over again. Madness is her method and random chaos is merely her imagination at work.

Visit her at https://coffeetimeromance.com/the-coffee-crew/Renee/

21
Aug 19
0

#PMInc Guest: CTR Staff Franny

Category:#PMInc 11th Anniversary,Anniversary,CTR Staffers,Events,Guest Blogger,Personalized Marketing Inc,PM Inc Tags : #Anniversary #PMInc Personalized Marketing Inc PM Inc PMnP

Are you glued to technology and if so, what do you do to disconnect?

Yes, and I seldom disconnect and do much else. Sometimes I’ll garden or spend my time organizing my messy house, but mostly I am connected and glued to it. An author’s lot in life, I guess.

What do you do to unwind?

I like to surf the net and spend a lot of time watching tv or hanging around with my grandkids. They sure keep me hopping, it’s true, but I find being with them is a joy so I guess that’s what I’d call my unwinding moments.

Anything special you do to treat yourself like maybe a favorite meal each month?

I sometimes treat myself with an ice cream or a couple of lottery scratch and win tickets. It all depends on my mood at the time.

Do you have a hobby that isn’t involved in what you do each day? (Painting, gardening, knitting, biking, etc)

I do stained glass, which takes up a ton of space and makes the house look like a bomb hit it. I also write, write, write to calm the storm of characters in my brain.

Everyone is concerned about being healthy while working on a computer, what do you do to try and improve your health? (5 min breaks, standing some while working, walking during the morning, limit time on computer, etc)

I go for walks or head to the casino for more techy fun. That part may not improve my health, but I sure enjoy it and have a lot of walking around the casino searching for my husband. lol He moves from machine to machine and I usually have a hard time finding him which means I walk a lot in the building. Other than that, I spend a lot of time cleaning and chasing the new puppy as well as the grandkids.

While working is there anything special you do help ease your mental stress or physical aches? (listen to music, stand while working, etc)

I’m disabled so my work is on my computer. I also create book covers and edit books, which I enjoy. I do make sure that I get up and do chores as well so I’m not sitting for hours at a time working on my projects.

What advice would you want to give others if you could?

No matter what you are doing, if you love it, use wisdom and make sure you take care of your health first. When illness strikes, it takes away from the pleasure of technology. I do try to behave, but being an Aries, I have a difficult time with that. Lol

Franny Armstrong is a mother of three and a grandmother of four. Her husband supports her imagination, and has the patience of a saint. She’s been writing since she was a child, creating plays to act out in front of the neighbourhood children. She charged them five cents admission to join her in the family garage for the play.

Since 2002, after a serious breakdown, Franny had to express herself on the computer since she couldn’t speak, everything coming out gibberish at that time. She’s slowly healed to the point that she functions fairly well. Writing was the best medicine for her, and still is.

Franny loves to write about rainforests and the Caribbean, rather than about cities. Her characters are well rounded and share her wacky sense of humour. Writing is her life!

Visit her at https://coffeetimeromance.com/the-coffee-crew/franny/

20
Aug 19
0

#PMInc Guest: CTR Staff Llaph

Category:#PMInc 11th Anniversary,CTR Staffers,Personalized Marketing Inc Tags : #Anniversary #PMInc Personalized Marketing Inc PM Inc PMnP

Are you glued to technology and if so, what do you do to disconnect?

For the most part I am glued to technology—I depend on my iPhone for a lot of things. When I want to get away from tech, I usually do that by going to a work-out or hanging out with a friend.

What do you do to unwind?

To unwind I generally work-out, read, or listen to Netflix or a movie.

Anything special you do to treat yourself?

Most months I treat myself to something I’d been wanting—such as a book, clothes, or a piece of tech I’ve been eyeing.

Do you have a hobby that isn’t involved in what you do each day?

My hobbies include working out, reading, and working on being more social.

Everyone is concerned about being healthy while working on a computer, what do you do to try and improve your health?

I do my best to limit my computer time to smaller stretches at a time. When I get tired, I’ll switch to my phone for a little bit or get up and spend a few minutes away from it.

While working is there anything special you do help ease your mental stress or physical aches?

One thing that I do while working is play music in the background. It really can improve your mood and productivity.

What advice would you want to give others if you could?

Get up and move, learn exercises that will help with the fatigue you get from sitting hunched over at a desk, and it is never too late to improve yourself in most ways. Never put off tomorrow what you can do today.

I enjoy reading and reviewing books here at CTR, since it lets me try out new genres and authors that I normally wouldn’t have found myself. I can also share my thoughts and chat with like-minded people. After all, sharing my thoughts in a format other people can read is a bit more productive than talking over my thoughts in my own head. (Not to mention less crazy sounding.) I look forward to reading more and talking about what I think to whoever will listen. Now I mainly read, chat, and write, sometimes I even share the weirdness that I think up.

Visit her at https://coffeetimeromance.com/the-coffee-crew/Llaph

19
Aug 19
0

#PMInc Guest: CTR Staff Tory

Category:#PMInc 11th Anniversary,CTR Staffers,Personalized Marketing Inc Tags : #Anniversary #PMInc Personalized Marketing Inc PM Inc PMnP

1. Are you glued to technology and if so, what do you do to disconnect?

Believe it or not I do housework to disconnect

2. What do you do to unwind?

Take a nap or have a glass of wine before bed

3. Anything special you do to treat yourself?

Get a pedi and a haircut

4. Do you have a hobby that isn’t involved in what you do each day? (Painting, gardening, knitting, biking, etc)

Writing is my hobby

5. Everyone is concerned about being healthy while working on a computer, what do you do to try and improve your health?

Again, I have to fall back on housework. I've always liked cleaning and find it relaxing, plus it gets me moving. I don't have to do it, I'm retired and live with my daughter and her family but I clean the kitchen every day, load and unload the dish washer, I also keep the bathroom I share with my grandchildren clean, do the laundry and clean my part of the house every day.

6. While working is there anything special you do help ease your mental stress or physical aches?

I'm retired and stress free

7. What advice would you want to give others if you could?

Treat people the way you want to be treated.

16
Aug 19
0

#PMInc 11th Anniversary Guest Author: Holly Bargo

Category:#PMInc 11th Anniversary,Anniversary,Events,Guest Author,Guest Blogger,Personalized Marketing Inc Tags : #Anniversary #PMInc Personalized Marketing Inc PM Inc PMnP

Work-life balance remains an illusion for many, even those who are self-employed. And for authors. The pressure to add to the bank account, land that next client, write the next book pounds at us day and night.

That’s one reason authors panic when they hit the dreaded writer’s block.

Some push through the block, forcing words to flow onto the page and knowing that those words just suck. So, on top of creative stoppage the writer also suffers from acute disappointment in herself. Or himself.

Let’s add to that the normal and often overwhelming demands of family. Some of us have livestock. Day jobs. More demands. It’s enough to crack a superhero, right?

Along with the illusion of work-life balance, career gurus stress the importance of self-care: those actions we take to nourish our spirits and relax our minds and bodies so we can take care of all the myriad obligations for which we’re responsible.

So, what do I do?

If I’m lucky, I go horseback riding. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve got a whole sack of fear issues regarding horses. However, I keep reminding myself that this is fun. Even when the horse is a restive, jigging, prancing, high-strung barrel of TNT with the fuse lit, I usually end the ride feeling relaxed and exhilarated—odd to feel those distinctly opposite emotions at the same time. But I never ride alone, because that’s a great way to get badly hurt and … you know … fear issues.

I’m not often lucky, so I read instead. Or I have a glass (or two) of whatever adult beverage I have on hand that appeals to me. Alcohol can take the edge off a rotten day, but it’s too easy for me to tip the scales from “light buzz” to “sloppy drunk.” Other times I watch TV, usually a sappy, fluffy romance on Netflix or something on PBS. I enjoy travel shows.

Naps are good, too. Nothing quite beats a long, hard nap, even if I wake feeling groggy and lethargic. There’s something so indulgent about taking a midday nap that resisting its appeal is difficult.

What I don’t do is what all the experts recommend: exercise. Blech.

Take a walk “in nature?” I live on a farm. “Nature” at this time of year means bugs: mosquitoes, horseflies, bees, wasps, spiders. Heat and humidity so thick and heavy that I almost need gills to breathe and “swamp ass” becomes a real concern above and below the waist. No thanks. That’s not relaxing, it’s oppressive and creepy and just plain icky.

Should I learn something new? When I’m drained of energy and inspiration, the last thing I want to do is expend energy and mental effort on something I’m don’t know how to do. No thanks.

Taking care of me means doing what I want when I want how I want and where I want. Seldom do I enjoy such a confluence of conditions. In the meantime, I’ll have drink and watch a movie. Or take a nap.

The Eagle at Dawn by Holly Bargo

Rachel's brother uses her as collateral to settle a debt with an outlaw motorcycle gang. She flees to a local bar and pleads with a darkly handsome stranger to help her. His help results in homicide. When eagle shifter Diego's vacation is interrupted by the innocent young woman he recognizes as his mate, he flees with her across national borders because she's his and he's not letting her go.

Having essentially swapped one captor for another, Rachel knows the dashing, sexy Spaniard is keeping secrets from her. He showers her with kindness and generosity in exchange for her obedience. Diego's control over her and his secrets elicit her distrust and resentment.

When freedom beckons, Rachel answers its call; however, freedom brings hardship and indignity. Will she return to the controlling alpha male who stirs her blood or cling stubbornly to her freedom?

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